Characters / World War Z (2019)

This is the character page for World War Z (2019). Minor spoilers ahead.

New York

Angel Flores

Voiced by: Joe Hernandez

”That life is the only reason I’m still here.”

A Hispanic member of the Latin Kings gang, moonlighting as a transit tunnel maintenance worker. When the outbreak hit, he chose to fight over flight unlike the rest of his gang, and it's kept him alive ever since.

• Acrofatic: Despite his girth, he has no issues keeping up with his fitter squadmates.
• Dark and Troubled Past: A gang member that from his childhood grew up in a bad neighborhood, right down to being orphaned due to gang violence. It's implied in his backstory that he at least once had a parole hearing, as he's mocking the standard piece convicts give to the board.
• Hidden Depths: Used to work maintenance in the tunnels, explaining his familiarity with the system. He's also familiar with New York's cultural landmarks, sharing some knowledge about the museum the group traverses.
• Just a Gangster: In Angel’s backstory, he reveals that he never wished to leave his gang or reform.
• Satisfied Street Rat: Angel was born into the Latin Kings and lost his father to gang violence but is grateful for these experiences because they gave him the strength and skills necessary to survive the Zeke apocalypse.
• Tattooed Crook: A street thug with both of his arms covered in tattoos.

Tashaun Burnell

Voiced by: Jason Linere-White

”So you want to save someone? Save yourself.”

An NYC firefighter, surviving the 9/11 attacks left him with guilt over it and PTSD. The outbreak's more of a change of scenery to him than anything else.

• Black Dude Dies First: Averted; Tashaun is the only black person in his engine company and is the last man alive.
• The Cynic: Due to his experience in 9/11 and with the pandemic, Tashaun has a very cynical worldview. He believes good deeds are punished and that every man is for himself.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Various quips during the New York campaign suggest the rest of the group dislikes him for his selfish behavior but are stuck together with him.
• Ghetto Name: Tashaun.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • He's correct that the subway is their best option to get out of the city, but that doesn't justify threatening Bunko. Applies in-universe, because Angel states he doesn't like him, but notes that he has a point.
  • When their boat runs out of gas, Angel suggests refueling it, but Tashaun shuts him down because they'd never be able to carry back the amount needed for it.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Tashaun is cynical but still a cooperative and helpful team member to his fellow survivors. Though he does threaten to leave Bunko behind for not wanting to go to the subway.
• Post-Historical Trauma: 9/11 survivor and firefighter.

Bunko Tatsumi

Voiced by: Rina Hoshino

”Thank you. Without you I would never have made it this far.”

A skilled hacker, ostracized in her youth. Weeks before the outbreak hit, she managed to breach the Department of Defense's firewalls, giving her time to prepare for the upcoming pandemic.

• Asian and Nerdy: Was a hacker before the pandemic hit.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: She deliberately kept quiet about her findings and prepared herself and only herself for the incoming catastrophe.
• Crazy-Prepared: She managed to equip herself with the necessary things to survive in a zombie apocalypse well before things went south.
• Friendless Background: Used to be the "computer loser" in social circles, always alone.
• Expy: Her backstory brings to mind Kondo from the book. She even has the same last name as him.
• Vague Age: She's anywhere between very late teens to late 20s. Made further vague by her being a tiny Asian girl keen on Kawaisa aesthetics.
• Victorious Loser: Bunko’s ostracization by her peers led her to get deeper into programming, ultimately becoming a skilled hacker and thus finding out about the pandemic before everyone else. She's thankful for all the past humiliations because otherwise, she would be dead, just like the people who mocked her.
• Who's Laughing Now?: In her backstory video, she mockingly thanks her former tormentors - if it wasn't for the bullying she suffered in her youth, she would never find out about the incoming apocalypse. Now she's alive and they are undead.
  I would have ended up just... Like... (Dramatic Gun Cock) You.

Arnetta Larkin

Voiced by: Kay Monique

”Because the only thing stronger than regret is hope.”

A power distribution engineer, Arnetta was among the first to know when the outbreak hit in earnest. The resulting chaos separated her from her husband and baby, but she still holds out hope for them.

• Action Mom: Her biggest drive is to see her baby.
• Missing Child: Got separated from the rest of her family during the outbreak and spends all her free time overthinking it.
• The Idealist: Arnetta still believes that her child and husband are alive despite the number of people turned zekes in NYC. In her words.:
  The only thing stronger than regret is hope.
• It Never Gets Any Easier: The agony Arnetta feels over the day she was separated from her husband and baby never goes away.
• Sassy Black Woman: Constantly angry, constantly barking at people, and apparently self-elected as the group leader.
• Team Mom: When Tashaun threatens to leave Bunko behind, Arnetta demands that no one is left behind.

Jerusalem

Judd Whittaker

Voiced by: Brock Powell

”There were moments when men’s cruelty could not be explained, it had to be seen.”

As the New York Times' top photojournalist, Judd was tasked with covering the refuge movement in the city. When the city was breached, he escaped by the skin of his teeth and has now traded cameras for rifles.

• Abusive Parents: Judd’s father would beat his mother in front of him. Judd gets his father arrested by taking pictures of the abuse.
• Caught on Tape: His very first "scoop" was his father beating his mother.
• Foreign Correspondent: It used to be his job before the outbreak and also how he ended up in Israel.
• Intrepid Reporter: Judd was sent to Jerusalem to cover the refuge movement in the city. As it usually happens in scenarios such as these, that didn't turn out well for him. He is no longer a reporter, though he still wears a "Press" snapback and kevlar vest.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: The only other guy who can surpass him would be Dina.

Dina Mizrahi

Voiced by: Shani Atias

”My earliest memory is war.”

Dina had intended to become an architect, like her father, and was serving time with the IDF when the outbreak hit, forcing her to abandon those dreams.

• Drives Like Crazy: There is a section in the Jerusalem episode where Dina has to drive the squad to safety. Everyone hastily fastens their seatbelts as she speeds up.
• Harmful to Minors: She watched her father's arm get blown off, a casualty of a war that is too complex to ever end.
• The Lad-ette: Quite possibly the most tomboyish of the original female cast.
• Military Brat: As with all Israeli citizens, she has been in the IDF.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Arguably the most foul-mouthed playable character in the game - a spot she retained even after two new groups of survivors were added later.
• Staking the Loved One/Self-Made Orphan: Forced to do this, as her father had been infected and turned into a Zeke.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Often berates her teammates when they get her up.
  Dina: What took you so long?
  Dina: About damn time.

Ethan Wolfe

Voiced by: David Shaughnessy

”We can suppress the animal instincts all we want, bury ‘em under layers of polish, but they exist for a reason."

With 16 years in the SAS, a Gallantry and Military Cross, Ethan had been hired by Mossad to advise on special ops and was away in a training facility in the Negev when the outbreak hit Jerusalem.

• Animal Motif: Wolves, as shown by his surname and outlook on life.
• Armor Is Useless: Despite being significantly more heavily armored than most other player characters, Ethan is no more durable than any other player character.
• Bond One-Liner: Often, when taking down Bulls:
  Ethan: The bull never wins, mate!
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Says he wants to drink after a particularly hectic swarm in Tech Support.
• Mistaken Identity: Because of his heavy blue body armor it is really easy to mistake him for a Bull, especially during a chaotic firefight. This can result in some rather embarrassing friendly fire.
• Shoot the Dog: In his backstory, when one of his team members is bitten by a recently reanimated zombie after it claws itself out of its body bag, Ethan takes things into his own hands and throws the man out of the helicopter to his death.

Daniel Alahey

Voiced by: Michael Orenstein

”Where there is life, there is light.”

A product of the 1977 Beta Israel movement, Daniel, after his service in the IDF, started up a family. The virus took it, and now he focuses his life on fighting for humanity.

• But Not Too Foreign: He's half-Ethiopian, while not looking even that.
• Crusading Widower: The death of his family brought him to fight against the dead.

Moscow

Oksana Orlovskaya

Voiced by: Irina Kireeva

”Science cannot explain what I’ve seen.”

As a child, she always laughed at the fairy tales of the undead. Science had deemed them impossible, and she wanted to use it to heal the diseased. That was shattered the moment the outbreak hit. Now, following Sergei Popov, she only seeks to release.

• Alliterative Name: Oksana Orlovskaya
• Birds of a Feather: Of the group, she has the most interactions with Svetlana, which makes sense considering that they were both doctors prior to the events of the game. She's also the one with the most faith that Svetlana didn't abandon them.
• Crisis of Faith: Inverted. She used to be a scientist that got her entire worldview shattered by the fact the dead are back, going for religion as a form of relief.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Regarding the zombies, she doesn't believe that science can explain their existence. Yet, there they are.
• The Smart Girl: Natural, given her profession. Whenever the group expresses concerns about their current mission, she uses reasoning to assuage them.

Ivan Dovchenko

Voiced by: Andrey Kurganov

”But nature is indifferent to the hierarchy of man.”

A well-respected defense minister in Kyiv nicknamed the Tiger, Ivan had everything torn from him when the Soviet Union collapsed, and vowed never to pay the price again. And yet, he did, as the outbreak left him bitter and vengeful; two of the things he needed to survive.

• Foreign Cuss Word: The only member of the Russian group who swears in his mother language.
  Ivan: Watch where you're shooting, мудак ("fuckface")!
• The Cynic: Cynic of the group, being the most pessimistic member. Ivan is always the first to assume that someone they're meaning to rescue is not worth risking their lives for.
• Harmful to Minors: He watched his family die during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• Jade-Colored Glasses: When Timur is shocked that the Russian government is doing something sketchy, like mass-producing nerve gas, Ivan doesn't even blink, saying that of course, it would be something they would do.
• Self-Made Man: He promised himself he would never be weak again, becoming a rich and influential person. Only to watch everything he built up be destroyed once more.
• Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Calls out Father Popov for the idea of attempting to rescue people from Red Square, which is already dubbed to be a suicide mission:
  Ivan: Father, you are a good man, but you're an idiot.
  Sergei: And you are a smart man, but you are lost.
• Token Minority: He's Ukrainian in a group of Russians. You are forgiven for not even noticing, because father Sergei is the only one who actually seems to be an ethnically Russian, atleast judging by name ("Oksana" is Ukranian version of Russian "Kseniya", "Timur" is essentially a "default Tatar guy name" and Yushkevich is a surname that can be Jewish, Ukranian, Polish... well, pretty of any Eastern European ethnicity that is 'not' Russian).

Timur Yushkevich

Voiced by: Oliver Hollis-Leick

”People don’t believe something can happen until it does.”

A political agitator and anarchist, Timur had seen signs of the outbreak coming, and tried to warn the public about it. He was arrested but was released from his cell by Sergei by the time it hit.

• Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: What he was painted as.
• Cassandra Truth: He knew about the outbreak and tried to warn people but no one listened. By the time it came, Timur felt relieved and satisfied that he was right.
• Expy: Arguably of Jurgen Warmbrunn from the book. Both characters are aware of the coming apocalypse and try to warn other people to no avail. The difference is Warmbrunn wrote a report whereas Timur protested in the streets.
• Irony: Incredulous at the armed sentries in the bunker, he asks "What else, a laser from the sky?" Unbeknownst to him is that there actually is one, which helps the Jerusalem squad.
• Shout-Out:
  • The first line in his backstory (see caption) is also the first line character Jurgen Warmbrunn says in the book.
  • A small one is the quote provided at his entry, which is used in his character bio. "People don't believe something can happen until it does" is a rephrasal of a Russian saying "Пока молния не ударит, мужик не перекрестится" (Until a lightning strikes, a man won't pray for it to never happen).
• They Called Me Mad!: Timur warned everyone that the Russian government was doing shady things and was proven right. Ivan tells him that everyone already knew and that the only reason no one listened to him is that he looks like a crackpot.

Sergei Popov

Voiced by: Sergei Chikhachev

”I will not be welcome in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

A ruthless enforcer in Russia's criminal underworld, a deal gone wrong led to him having a sudden epiphany. Now, he serves the Lord and seeks to release the dead from their pain.

• Badass Preacher: Even though he’s traded his life as a criminal for that of a holy man, he’s not afraid to take up arms against the infected after they start crashing through the windows and trying to attack his congregation.
• Expy: Of Father Sergei Ryzhkov from the book.
• Four-Philosophy Ensemble: The optimist of the group and its' leader, Father Popov attempts to save as many people as he possibly can.
• Heel–Faith Turn: He used to be a brutal criminal, but chose to become a priest and walk the path of righteousness.
• The Leader: Is specifically identified as this for the Russian group.

Tokyo

Sho Sugiyama

Voiced by: Johnny Young

“This wasn’t another disaster—this was war.”

At 11, Sho felt the ground shake for the first time. He wanted to leave, but his grandparents wouldn't hear of it. The philosophy followed him into adulthood. When the Great East Japan Earthquake hit, he joined the Disaster Rescue Team to save any survivors. When the outbreak hit, however, Sho realized that the only survivors wouldn't be the ones who stayed; it would be the ones who left.

• Badass Boast: They should be running from me!
• Mono no Aware: Comes from his pre-apocalypse job and being Japanese. He's fully accepting how fleeting everything is.
• No One Gets Left Behind: He tries to call out for survivors early on in the Tokyo campaign, only for his teammates to tell him to reign it in.
• The Medic: While he can be any class, his backstory and general motifs lend to this.
• The Pollyanna: His mantra tells him that his country can survive through anything, be it earthquakes, tsunamis, or zekes. Of his entire group, he's the most optimistic one.

Kimiko Nomura

Voiced by: Kyoko Okazaki

”But life is all about the unforeseen.”

Ever since Kimiko held her first starter pistol, she'd been hooked. Dropping out of university in her senior years, she went on to win Olympic gold. When the outbreak turned the country into a panicked evacuation zone, those talents became essential for her survival.

• Celebrity Survivor: An Olympic gold medalist. This is never brought up in-game proper, but that's probably because everyone's too busy to make small talk.
• Dye Hard: In-Universe, she's the only character to have three different hair colors among their outfits, black, blonde, and purple.
• Inverse Law of Utility and Lethality: Subverted. The main reason why she's alive and kicking is because she's an Olympic shooting champion and as such, already owned a gun, too^note  Japan's gun control laws are some of the strictest on Earth.
• It Gets Easier: After surviving the first horde event in Tokyo, she points out this is the day when not only she made her first kill, but hundreds of them, and how weirdly easy it feels. Hiroji is quick to point out the zeds were technically already dead.
• It Has Been an Honor: Says this word for word for the finale of Final Call.
• Team Mom: While not in any official capacity and the youngest of the group, it seems her main role is to keep the team focused on the task at hand while preventing Sho and Hiroji from tearing each other's throats.
• Weapon Specialization: As far as promotional materials and character portray go, a sporting carbine. Justified, since she's a sports shooter.

Tatsuo Matsumoto

Voiced by: Yutaka Takeuchi

”I always wanted to be a cop.”

Tatsuo's intensity as an officer reflected in his career; by 34, he'd been through the Riot Unit, then Special Assault, and finally Special Investigations. It came at a cost; by 43, he had left his wife, and taken to the bottle. When the outbreak hit, he volunteered; anything to distract him from his demons.

• The Alcoholic: As stated by his backstory, it does nothing to impede his zombie-fighting ability.
• Cowboy Cop: What he aspires to be. He hated that he had to follow red tape and the law and that he couldn't kill the scum of the Earth. With the zombie apocalypse, however, he could satisfy his need to kill.
• Elites Are More Glamorous: Was with the Special Assault Team after his stint as an anti-riot officer before being seconded to the Special Investigation Team in its tactical unit.
• Married to the Job: Would rather be a policeman than anything else, including a husband. Notably, he left his wife, not the other way around. This does, however, have the benefit of making him willing to volunteer as part of rescue team 4.
• Power Fantasy: He has time of his life due to the zombie apocalypse since he's now allowed to use all the violence and firepower he always wanted to as a policeman. The game tries its very best to not paint him as an unhinged maniac.
• Still Wearing the Old Colors: He's still wearing most of his uniform once in Kamchatka.
• Team Dad: As a consequence of being the oldest member of his team. To drive the point home, one of his alternative skins makes him look similar to Bill.

Hiroji Okada

Voiced by: Greg Chun

”So when everyone else was leaving, I went home.”

At 20, Hiroji was the youngest yakuza in Tokyo. When he was sent to Los Angeles to avoid shaming his family, he became the youngest yakuza there, at age 25. The outbreak sparked a sense of loyalty to Japan in him, and thus, as everyone was leaving, he came back home to assist.

• Hidden Depths: For all his surface-level cynicism and self-interest, he'll stand for the Rescue Leader during first Tokyo mission, resigning from what appears to be his only way out of the city (and the country at large).
  Floor it, Rescue Leader, and don't look back.
• Katanas Are Just Better: Outside of gameplay, he's portrayed using a wakizashi as his melee weapon. Unlike Tashaun's firefighter axe, you have to unlock it first^note With a rather tough challenge to pass, and using it is not restricted to Hiroji once you do.
• Lack of Empathy: He's the quickest to suggest looking out for his team members rather than helping others, despite the above. Or at least, he tries to act like this, but still does his very best to help.
• Neighbourhood-Friendly Gangsters: Despite his attitude, his desire to stay in Tokyo is out of a sense of duty. This is why he's a part of rescue team 4. This also nicely plays on the traditional yakuza ethos of providing help to those in need... paid back in favors, of course.
• Noodle Incident: His (mis)adventures in Los Angeles during the early days of the infection. All we ever learn about it that it was a horrific experience that makes his current predicament in completely overrun Tokyo seem better in comparison.
• Smoking Is Cool: His selection animation in the lobby has him in the middle of a smoke break from killing, then just casually dropping another zombie. The casual nature is further contrasted with the other three Japanese characters, which are portrayed far more serious in their selection animations.
• What You Are in the Dark: His most definitive trait is the contrast between his declared selfishness and actual selflessness. When it comes to action, he's just as determined as the rest of his team to help others.
• Yakuza

Marseille

Eloise Durand

Voiced by: Anais Delva

After rocky adolescence that included several drug offenses, Eloise Durand, 27, found purpose as a stunt coordinator in movies... until the zombie apocalypse disrupted the filming schedule, and "turned" the entire cast.

• French Jerk: Full-mouthed, routinely antagonizing people and snarking at any given reason - not always playfully.
• The Gadfly: She's constantly teasing other team members and people met on their way.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: She's constantly snarky, but she does care about her companions to the extent of also offering to stay behind and provide cover for them. If Raoul offers to stay behind, she admonishes him and wants to take his place instead.
  I'll stay behind. I'm sick of you assholes, anyway.
• National Stereotypes: A French woman in a red beret and a striped blouse talking in Double Entendres. She only lacks a baguette for the full image.
• Shipper on Deck: A mocking example. Karim suggests he'd stay behind while the other survivors proceed and Marine tells him he's too valuable to lose. Eloise suggests that Marine has feelings for him.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: She's always jabbing and sniping Raoul, who gladly fires back.

Raoul Diallo

Voiced by: Mike Fédé

Every game theorist needs a hobby and Raoul Diallo's was theorizing doomsday scenarios. When whispers of the outbreak began to spread in Marseille, the gifted 25-year-old statistician already knew Fort Saint-Nicolas was the only rational hope.

• The Bore: Elois accuses him of being this, saying it's weird when he has fun.
• The Smart Guy: Mostly Informed Ability, since his actual lines in the game are of Captain Obvious variety, stating things that the other survivors explicitly know already - and react negatively to being reminded of them yet again.

Marine Leblanc

Voiced by: Genevieve Doang

Marine Leblanc was held hostage when her elementary school was captured by terrorists. Seeing the RAID unit storm the building, she knew she had to join them. At 32, she was being groomed for command of her own unit when the outbreak hit.

• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Has a negative reaction to getting healed, telling her teammates to get off of her. She only says that after she's healed, of course.
• The Lad-ette: Always wanted to become a member of a police raid unit, which she ultimately achieved sometime before the zombie apocalypse.
• Tomboy: She's very unladylike, both in her behavior and looks.

Karim Wahid

Voiced by: Jochen Hagele

By age 26, Karim Wahid had completed a master's in Weapons Engineering, climbed Everest, and became CTO at an arms manufacturer in Dubai. At 35, he quit his job and headed to the French Riviera in search of adventure...

• Arab Oil Sheikh: Implied to be his family background - a rich Arab from Dubai that spends most of his time on vacations and globe-trotting trips.
• Bring My Brown Pants: Joked around with Eloise. She claims he shit himself in the darkness of the sewers and he plays along, saying they would never know.
• Cool Shades: Always spotting a pair.
• Grievous Bottley Harm: His promotion material has him decking a Zeke with a liquor bottle.
• Token Minority: The only non-French in the team, hailing from Dubai.

Rome

Daniela Martín

Voiced by: Felecia Angelle

A BMX professional since she was 15, to call Daniela competitive would be a vast understatement. She followed the international pro circuit for several years and was in Rome when the outbreak hit. Refusing to consider failure as an option, she always demands the best from her squad.

• Batter Up!: Though the baseball bat can be used by any survivor, she's most associated with it and its decorations match her outfit.
• Clothing Damage: Has a very exposed midriff, almost as though her shirt was ripped off by zombies.

Giovanni Gallo

Voiced by: Brian Stivale

Giovanni was just beginning to enjoy the quiet life of retirement, hunting, and fishing when the infection swept through the country. A weary and reluctant father figure to his team, Giovanni's survivalist experience has been vital in the longevity of those who look to him for guidance.

• Retirony: The zombie apocalypse just happened to show up when he retired.
• Team Dad: It's even referenced in his bio.

Sofia Lombardi

Voiced by: Melanie Minichino

Sophia was just about to complete her PhD in mechanical engineering when the outbreak hit Rome. Compassionate yet practical, she's always been willing to do her part, whether that's teaching settlements how to purify their water supply, or pushing back a zombie horde.

• Spell My Name With An S: Her title and description (as shown above) use different spellings of her name.
• Wrench Wench: Was an engineer.

Marco Conti

Voiced by: Joe Passaro

Marco survived the first 20 months after the collapse with his wife, but recently she died from a sudden stroke. Grappling with his severe depression and bouts of self-destructive tendencies, his love for his squadmates is the only thing keeping him going.

• Life Will Kill You: His wife wasn't consumed by the horde or any other typical zombie deaths. She just had a stroke.
• Living Emotional Crutch: His squadmates function like this for him.